17.423: The Causes and Prevention of War
Spring 1998
TA: David Mendeloff

Discussion Questions for 17 February

1. Over the past week you've been introduced to the known universe of hypotheses on military policy as a cause of war? How convincing do you find these hypotheses? How credible do these hypotheses seem today, in the post-Cold War world? Of the eight presented, which one strikes you as the most convincing? The least convincing? Why?
   



2. If you believe that certain military policies are significant causes of war, what policy prescriptions for preventing war follow from this belief? Are there feasible solutions to these war-causing problems? If you had unlimited resources to solve the problems created by military policy, what would you do?
   



3. What is the security dilemma? In your opinion, is the desire for security--and the actions taken by states on behalf of that desire--simply an excuse for war or a legitimate cause of war? What research project would you set up to answer this question?
   



4. How convinced are you by claims of the danger presented by offense dominance and a world of easy conquest? (Hint: you should read the assigned portions of Van Evera's "Primed for Peace" to answer this question.) Are offensive military strategies always bad?